


The Person I Admire the Most (is My Hero)

by a1_kitkat



Series: Malex Adopted Family Series [3]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Adopted Children, Alternate Universe - Future, Disagreements, Episode Related, Established Relationship, Homework, M/M, Makeup Sex, Malex, Marital Issues, Past Relationship(s), School Assignment, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:35:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26042818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a1_kitkat/pseuds/a1_kitkat
Summary: A homework assignment for Kayla causes tension and stirs up terse memories for Alex
Relationships: Alex Manes & Kyle Valenti, Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Series: Malex Adopted Family Series [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1890409
Comments: 23
Kudos: 79





	The Person I Admire the Most (is My Hero)

**Author's Note:**

> This was me working through what happened in episode 2.06. I didn't like the way the Michael/Alex/Maria situation was handled. I'm not a prude and disapprove of threesomes, I just didn't feel it was executed very well in the show and I'm not keen on there not being any repercussions later... So I got my feels out here and I tried to be neutral/realistic... as someone who can let something fester for a long time and be capable of having the same fight repeatedly... So this is my take on it but I'm not trying to stir the pot, this is just what my head came up with in context of how I saw the episode. 
> 
> ***** 
> 
> Again, this is TECHNICALLY part 5 of the series

He was covered in grease, wasn’t entirely sure how it had happened, only that it had been his own fault for not paying attention to what he was doing. Fixing an engine was second nature to him, he could practically do it with his eyes closed and work off his senses alone. He’d never been able to explain it but it was definitely a gift. As a result, he never really had to focus but if his mind wandered elsewhere, that was when things like this tended to occur.

It hadn’t actually been his fault; his thoughts had drifted as he’d been anticipating finishing up and heading home. The image that had been on his mind was that of Alex and Christian from the previous night. It wasn’t like they’d been doing anything different. A typical Tuesday night of watching a movie together and, as usual, Alex had fallen asleep on the couch with their son in his lap. It was always a sight to behold and made Michael thank every star in the sky that this was his life now.

“Kayla?” He shouted over his shoulder. “Can you bring me a washcloth?”

Michael waited for her cheery ‘yes Papi’ but it never came.

“Kayla? Sweetheart?” Michael called. Still no reply.

He knew not to panic; she was a wanderer, an explorer, but she also tended to get lost in her own little world. Michael moved away from the car he’d been working on and looked towards his truck, expecting to see her on the flatbed. His daughter rode her bike to the auto yard every afternoon after school and did her homework in Michael’s truck. That was where she’d been when he started tinkering under the hood.

“Kayla?” He called again.

There was no sign of her but he still remained calm as he picked up a filthy rag and started wiping the grease from his hands.

“What are you yellin’ about?”

Michael turned to see Walt come from the old dingy office. He gazed at Michael with his one good eye.

“I can’t find Kayla,” Michael admitted. “How long have you been here?”

“Been in the office since lunch, kid.”

“So, you haven’t seen her?”

“That’s not what I said.”

“Sanders!”

Michael didn’t raise his voice at Walt often but he was starting to panic at having lost his daughter.

“She came into the office a little while ago,” he said. “Started asking a lot of questions.”

“Questions? About what?”

“‘Bout your rig over there; wanted to know who it belongs to.”

Michael’s eyes darted over to his airstream; the place he used to call home. Alex had asked him once to get rid of it when they first moved in together but Michael had refused. It wasn’t in the way here, Walt didn’t have any objections to it staying, plus it was covering the entrance to his secret alien research bunker.

“It’s locked tight,” Michael said. “She can’t get in.”

“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that.”

Walt turned and walked back to the office but Michael headed towards the airstream. He sometimes snuck naps in there when business was quiet; but it mostly sat there, being ignored. He kind of understood why her interest had been piqued.

“Kayla, sweetheart?” Michael yelled. “Where are you?”

“Here, Papi!”

He’d never felt happier to hear her voice. She was panting, slightly out of breath as she appeared from the opposite direction of the trailer. He wondered if this was a misdirection on her part, so he wouldn’t think she’d been snooping around.

“I’m sorry, Papi,” she said. “I went to the bathroom. I yelled it at ya but I didn’t know you hadn’t heard me...”

Michael dropped to one knee so he could look into her eyes. Her long hair was braided down her back, her face barely showing under the bandanna around her neck and her flannel shirt and jeans were covered in dirt.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Michael assured her. “But remember you’re supposed to make sure I hear you.”

“Papa always says you’re off in your own head.”

“Oh, he does, does he?”

“Yep... then he says it's one of the things he loves about you but whenever I ask just how many things are there, he just smiles and changes the subject.”

Michael held back a grin.

“I don’t like thinking you’ve wandered off,” he continued. “This workplace isn’t exactly child-friendly. You could get hurt and I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you, and then there’s what papa would do to me.”

Kayla giggled.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized again. “I promise I’ll be more careful!”

“Thank you,” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “Now go say goodbye to grandpa so we can go home.”

Kayla nodded and ran off to the office. Michael returned to the car that had attacked him and shrugged. It was tomorrow’s problem now. He tossed the rag aside and looked down at his filthy clothes. 

He packed his things away then made his way to his truck. Kayla was in the back, putting her books in her bag. She jumped down and climbed into the passenger seat. Michael waved to Walt as he climbed behind the wheel then started the engine.

“Papi?” Kayla whispered when they were halfway home.

“Yeah, sweetheart?” Michael peered at her out of the corner of his eye.

“Were you and papa high school sweethearts?”

“Where did that come from?”

“Mommy and daddy met at a wedding; Bridgette at school said her parents went to prom together.”

Michael mulled the question over.

“We met in middle school but we’d just about graduated by the time we fell in love.”

“And you’ve really been in love ever since?”

“Yes; even when we weren’t together... when we saw other people... I never stopped loving him.”

“How did you know Papa was the one?” She asked.

“I... just did,” Michael admitted. “He and I just... connected and nothing’s ever broken that connection.”

“And nothing ever will?”

He smiled to himself.

“What’s with all the questions today?” He asked with an air of curiosity and a quizzical look on his face. She shrugged her shoulders and he teasingly poked her, making her giggle. 

“No; nothing will ever come between us.” He stated with a grin and a twinkle in his eye. She smiled and settled back in the seat.

*

Michael pulled the truck into the yard and they both climbed out. Kayla grabbed her bag and ran to the front door while Michael pulled her bike from the flatbed and wheeled it to the side of the house. He looked at his grease covered shirt and winced.

The door was still open so he followed his daughter inside and pushed the door closed. He heard her shouting from her bedroom as Alex rounded the corner and his eyes took in Michael’s shirt.

He immediately held his hands up in defeat.

“Before you say anything,” Michael said before he reached down and whipped his shirt off over his head. Now Alex’s eyes swept over his firm yet hairy chest and he saw the twitch of his lip. “See? Now there’s no mess!”

“Just because you took your shirt off, doesn’t mean the stain isn’t still there and I’ll bet you expect me to clean it...”

Michael affixed the most sorrowful, pleading expression upon his face as he looked at his husband.

“I slave in the hot sun for hours, working my fingers to the bone and straining my back and don’t even get a welcome home kiss at the end of a hard day.” he said; his tone light yet sarcastic.

“I’ll kiss you, Papi!”

Christian came flying into the room and launched himself into Michael’s arms. He caught the boy in a hug and Chris placed a kiss on his cheek while Michael hugged him, his puppy dog eyes still fixed on Alex.

Michael watched as Alex’s resolve began to crumble. Alex stepped towards him, hand extended to take the soiled shirt from him but the moment Alex grasped the shirt, Michael used it to pull him closer. He immediately wrapped his arm around Alex’s waist and buried his face in his neck. Chris started giggling; he loved when his Papi acted silly with his Papa.

Alex laughed too and his smile lit up his entire face. Chris watched as Alex reached up, touched Michael’s cheek then leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.

Michael slowly let Christian slip from his arms so he could fully embrace Alex and they continued kissing.

“Kaykay!” Chris yelled as he ran from the room. “Papi and Papa are being silly again!”

Michael pulled away and looked into Alex’s eyes.

“You hear that? We’re being silly again,” Michael said.

“Well, it’s not my fault you don’t know how to act like a grown up,” Alex shot back with a twinkle in his eye.

“In that case, this silly ‘ _non-grown up’_ needs to teach our kids not to call us silly.” Michael teased with a wink.

He stealthily followed Chris and a moment later Alex heard the familiar high-pitched squeal of their son followed seconds later by the giggles of his sister as she tried to protect him from silly Papi or fought with Chris for equal attention from Michael.

Alex moved down the hall and stopped in the doorway to the bedroom where he found Michael pinned to the floor and both kids tickling him. All three of them were laughing.

He smiled to himself then very quietly moved away, he tossed Michael’s shirt into the laundry then went back to the kitchen to take dinner out of the oven. Alex brought the pizza to the table and waited, could still hear them all giggling. He sighed and went to break the party up.

“Kids, head to the table or your dinner will get cold,” he told them. 

They both whined at having to stop playing but reluctantly did as they were told. Michael got to his feet and started to follow.

“Not you!” Alex hissed. “Shower before dinner.”

“But it’ll get cold!”

“Should’ve thought of that before you let the kids overpower you.”

“Hey, I was in complete control of the situation.”

“Sure, you were.”

Michael wrapped his arms around Alex’s waist and kissed his neck.

“The only person I ever let overpower me is you, and you know it,” Michael whispered. Alex blushed. 

“Hurry up, please, I won’t start without you.”

“We are still talking about dinner, right?”

Alex blushed again; Michael pressed another kiss to Alex’s skin before separating himself from him and hightailing it to the bathroom.

Alex returned to the table where both kids were already covered in cheese and pizza sauce. It was a mess but he still smiled. He loved his family and wouldn’t change it for the world.

Michael showered quickly and hurried to the table, placed a kiss to Alex’s crown as he passed him to sit opposite at the table.

“I drew a picture for you, Papi,” Chris stated.

“You did?” Michael didn’t have to overact his excitement.

“Will you tell me about it?”

“No, it’s a surprise!”

“A surprise?”

Michael looked up and Alex was smiling at him. He smiled back; what had he done right to be blessed with a family as great as this?

They ate while both kids talked about their day. Kayla seemed a little quieter than usual. Alex cleared the table while Chris presented Michael with his drawing of the cowboy at work, fixing an engine; which he immediately walked into the kitchen and pinned to the fridge. Christian was beaming with pride as Michael scooped him up and carried him to the bathroom to wash up for bed.

Kayla was sitting at the table with her school books and Alex slowly approached. It was strange to see her doing homework this late… she always did it at the auto yard with Michael. When he got close enough, he saw her looking at an old photo and his heart skipped a beat.

“Kayla, where did you get that?” He didn’t sound angry, just surprised but she hurriedly hid it in one of her books and guiltily looked up at him.

“Sorry, Papa,” she said, head lowered in shame.

He pulled the chair out next to her and reached for her hand.

“Sweetheart, it’s okay,” he assured her. “I was just... confused. I... haven’t seen that photo in years.”

She reached into the book and slowly pulled it out then handed it to him. His hand was trembling as he took it from her. Both he and Michael looked so young, so happy, so high school with their guitars. So much had happened to them since that photo was taken; he peered down at his wedding ring.

“Kayla, did Papi give this to you?” Alex asked. She shook her head.

“No,” her head still bowed, she continued. “I found it today at Papi’s work.”

“Why did you take it?”

“I’m sorry,”

“No, sweetheart, I don’t want an apology; I’d like an explanation.”

“It’s my homework,” she finally admitted. “I have to give a report about the person I look up to, admire, and I... want to talk about Papi but I didn’t want you to feel bad and I didn’t want him to know either but...” she paused. “He never talks about growing up or his past... his family... he just says we’re his family but where does grandpa Walt fit in?”

“Oh, Kayla,” Alex gently placed his arm around her and pulled her into a hug. 

It was true, they never really talked about the past as they preferred to focus on now and the future. Neither of them had had the best upbringing, nor did they like to focus on the ten years they’d spent pining for each other than the time they’d wasted not being together. Nothing in their lives had really fallen into place until the day Alex had proposed to Michael.

“Who took this picture?” She asked as they both looked at it.

Michael with his curls hidden under a cap, Alex’s eyeliner and septum ring still very noticeable.

“Uncle Greg,” Alex replied. He remembered that summer, when his brother had come home for Alex’s graduation and accidentally caught Alex and Michael making out several times during his short visit.

“That was taken the summer we graduated high school,” Alex explained. “Before my dad pushed me to enlist.”

“To serve our country,” Kayla added.

Alex frowned at her.

“It’s what mommy used to say.”

Alex’s hand was shaking as he looked at the photograph.

“Where at Papi’s work did you find this?” He asked her.

“There’s a trailer and I went inside...”

Alex felt a cold shiver pass over him and he dropped the photo. He turned and looked her directly in the eyes.

“Promise me you’ll never go inside that airstream again,” he insisted.

“But Papa-”

“Promise me, Kayla”

“I... okay, promise.”

She could see the hurt in his eyes but Alex got up and immediately walked away. She felt bad; she knew her project was going to hurt one of them. Maybe it wasn’t too late to write her paper about Alex? But she didn’t know much about his childhood either and when she asked about his work in the Air Force, he simply told her it was ‘classified’. But there was a medal of his hanging on the wall in Papa’s home office that Papi had insisted on putting up.

Papa Alex was an actual hero; he had medals and had lost a leg in combat. Christian adored him; admired him, mimicked him, had dressed up as him for Halloween. Alex was Chris’s hero, so it was okay for Michael to be Kayla’s, right?

Michael appeared a moment later and told her to pack up her books which she immediately did before hurrying off to get ready for bed. He watched her go, looked around for Alex but couldn’t find him.

He waited to tuck Kayla in bed. Chris was already asleep but Michael read to her very quietly before turning the light off and leaving the room.

He quietly searched the house but there was still no sign of Alex. He knew he hadn’t gone out, so where was he? Three laps of the house before he finally tried outside. It was a chilly April night and the cold hit him the second he stepped into it. He found Alex on the porch swing, tucked under a blanket.

Michael moved towards him and sat down beside him. At first, he didn’t say anything but Alex immediately moved closer, hooked his arm through Michael’s and rested his head on his shoulder. The warmth of his body instantly soothed him.

“It’s still early,” Michael started. “Want to watch a movie?”

“Not really in the mood,” Alex replied.

“How about a handy? It’s been a while since we... you know? Out here on the swing.”

“Michael!” Alex sounded scandalized as he pulled away and just stared at him.

“It’s okay, the kids are in bed.”

“And if they get up?”

“They won’t.”

“Michael!”

“Then I’ll tell them it’s not my fault I can’t keep my hands off my sexy husband.”

Alex sighed and shook his head, smiling in disbelief. He leaned closer again and resumed his earlier position as Michael draped his arm around him and placed another kiss on Alex’s forehead.

“I’m sorry I was a mess when I got home,” Michael said to him.

“You know I was just teasing; I love when my grease monkey gets all dirty,” Alex replied.

Michael smiled. He was sure something was bothering Alex but if it wasn’t his stained shirt then what? He knew he should ask.

“It’s cold out here,” he started.

“It’s warmer now you’re here,” Alex said. 

“Why don’t we go to bed and I’ll warm you up even more?”

“I swear you’re the only person I know who thinks taking your clothes off makes you warmer.”

“That’s... not where I was going with that but I do appreciate it’s where your ‘not in the mood for a handy’ brain went.”

“Just... shut up and kiss me, okay?”

Michael tenderly cupped Alex’s cheek with his hand then leaned forward to place a loving kiss upon his lips. They shared sweet kisses for a few moments until the cold really kicked in and Alex began to shiver. Michael scooped his husband into his arms and carried him inside.... all the way to the bedroom. He left to lock up the house and turn the lights off, stopped to check on the sleeping kids then returned to Alex.

Once they were both settled in bed, Alex pulled Michael to him and buried his face in the man’s soft curls.

“I love you, Michael,” Alex whispered into the darkness.

“I know,” Michael replied. “I love you too, baby.”

He knew he still needed to ask Alex what was bothering him, but right now he just wanted to savour this moment of them holding each other close, still so deeply and happily in love.

***

Alex didn’t say anything to Michael about Kayla poking around the airstream in a bid to learn more about him. They hadn’t told the kids much about their pasts since a lot of it revolved around Alex’s family hunting and hurting Michael’s while they struggled to find common ground. Their love had survived but it hadn’t been an easy journey.

He’d just placed a load of washing in the machine when he heard someone knocking at the door. Since he wasn’t wearing his prosthetic it was going to take him a while to get to the door, maybe they’d go away?

The visitor knocked again.

“Who is it?” Alex yelled.

“It’s me!” a voice shouted back.

“Oh... come in, it’s unlocked!”

The door opened and Kyle stepped inside, balancing a tray of take out coffees. He pushed the door closed and smiled at Alex though his eyes swept over his crutch and his missing leg.

“Sorry,” Kyle apologized. “I, uh, hardly ever see you without the prosthetic; sometimes I forget.”

“Sometimes I do too,” Alex admitted. “I usually end up on my ass but... It helps Chris see his hand isn’t a big deal.”

“How’s he coping at school? With his hand?”

“The teachers are great with him.”

“And the other kids? Speaking as a former bully myself…”

“A couple of them teased him in the beginning; whenever someone says he doesn’t have all his fingers, he just shoots back that his ‘Papa doesn’t have a leg’ and the kids shut up... especially after I showed up one day and let them all see it.”

Kyle was smiling while Alex spoke. It took him a moment to notice.

“What? Why are you grinning like that?” Alex asked him.

Kyle handed him one of the cups, still smiling to himself.

“I just... I love the way you talk about those kids,” Kyle confessed. “They’ve stolen your heart and... you’re both such... amazing parents... I’m kinda jealous actually.”

“They adore you, too.”

“I know but...” he paused. “I guess I never thought you and Guerin would be the first of us to have kids.”

Alex knew he’d been blessed to get the family he had now.

“Not that you two don’t deserve it!” Kyle hurried to add. “I’m really, really happy for you.”

He knew Kyle meant no disrespect and he invited him into the living room so they could sit down. Alex dropped onto the couch while Kyle sat in Michael’s chair. He took a sip of coffee.

“So, what brings you here, with coffee, on this chilly Friday morning?” Alex asked.

“The coffee is because it’s chilly,” Kyle replied. “My being here is... it’s about Kayla.”

“Kayla?”

“She called me yesterday.”

“What?”

“Yeah; after school, she was obviously with Michael coz she used his phone and I don’t think he knew.”

“Why... Why did she call you?” Alex asked. “Was it something she couldn’t talk to us about?”

“It was about you... both of you... she wanted to know what you were like at school and if we were all as close back then as we are now.”

“What... did you tell her?”

Alex immediately pictured her at the table, looking at the photo of himself and Michael as teens.

“The bare minimum,” Kyle admitted. “I didn’t know what to say. I don’t really know how much you’ve told her... And... You know I’m not proud of the way I treated you, the things I put you through... I couldn’t tell her I was a grade A asshole.”

“Because you don’t want her to think less of you?”

“Because I don’t like admitting the awful shit I did back then but if you’re okay with her knowing, I will tell her.”

“It’s complicated, Kyle, there’s so much we can’t tell them... Michael and I have talked about it a lot but we agree they’re too young. I think Kayla would actually love it especially given her love of E.T but it’s not the right time.”

“She’s working on a school project about the person she admires most and she’s looking for answers.”

“Yeah, I know,” Alex sighed before taking another sip of coffee. “I saw her looking at an old photo from high school and I asked where she found it,” he paused. “She said the trailer at the junkyard”

“Kayla was poking around the airstream?”

“Michael promised me it was locked and no one could get in.”

Kyle observed Alex over the brim of his own cup.

“You’re not still hung up on that thing?” He pushed. “Is that why you avoid going there as much as possible? Because you hate his trailer? The place he lived for over ten years!”

“I don’t expect you to understand.”

Kyle snorted.

“I was the first person you called that morning, remember?” He pressed. “You were in tears but you were the one who said it meant nothing and would never happen again. You never even mentioned it again until you got drunk at your bachelor party and cried on my shoulder about it.”

“I asked him to get rid of it.”

“It’s a _trailer_ , Alex, it was Michael’s home; do you think Liz should sell the Crashdown because she got shot there?”

“That’s different, Kyle.”

He got up from the chair and moved to the couch next to Alex.

“You didn’t stop going to the cabin, even after all the awful pranks I played on you there” Kyle added. 

“That’s not-”

“My point, Alex, is you have worse memories in a lot of other places; why push Michael to get rid of one place that he has happy memories of?”

“I...”

“Don’t tell me you haven’t had this out with him yet? It’s been years, Alex.”

“No, of course we’ve argued about this many, many times... I just, I hate the idea of Kayla being in there at all; I mean, who knows what stuff he might have laying around, untouched for years.”

“You know, sometimes the best way to move past a dark memory is to replace it with a happier one.”

“It’s not like _I_ don’t have any happy memories in there at all…”

“So, why can’t you just let this _one_ go?”

“Look, can we not talk about this anymore?” Alex shrugged away from Kyle’s comforting hand.

“Kayla is an inquisitive girl, maybe you need to start letting her in on some of your past... and if you want me to tell her how big a jerk I was then I will... but this is about your daughter, not a bad night you keep pretending to have let go of”

“Kyle, I’m sorry,” Alex said to him.

“At the end of the day, you love Michael and he loves you... you have two beautiful kids and you’re the happiest I’ve ever seen you. Just accept that you got the happy ending you deserve, who cares how you got here, just that you made it?”

“You wanna help me bake cookies?” Alex randomly blurted.

“What?” Kyle blinked at the rapid change of topic.

“Cookies; Kayla loves them so I’m gonna make some for her. Do you want to help me?”

“Sure.”

Kyle got to his feet, helped Alex up, and made their way into the kitchen. Neither of them mentioned Michael’s airstream for the rest of Kyle’s visit but even he could see that Alex hadn’t let it go. Kyle knew that Alex was now doing what he’d perfected over the years... Pretending everything was fine.

***

Michael heard Kayla’s squeal of excitement from all the way outside and he stepped through the front door to see her holding a cookie in her hand; Alex had been baking. 

Yep, there was definitely something on his mind.

He made his way into the kitchen where Chris was sitting on the counter, wearing his apron, and Alex was rummaging in the fridge. Michael approached his son and kissed him, tickled his stomach while he waited for Alex to finish what he was doing... with a cake.

Alex had made a dessert too. 

Something was _definitely_ bothering him.

He waited until Alex had closed the fridge. His husband turned around and smiled; his beautiful smile not quite reaching his eyes. Michael was the only one who’d ever notice such a thing. He moved towards him, kissed his cheek after saying ‘Honey, I’m home,’ and Chris giggled.

Michael pulled away from Alex, knew to give him his space and he wandered off to wash up for dinner.

*

Chris was chatting animatedly at the table, being egged on by his older sister but both Michael and Alex were very quiet. It was no surprise the kids noticed.

“Papa, is your tummy funny?” Chris asked Alex with a worried look on his face. 

“No, Chrissy, I’m alright, just tired,” Alex assured him with a gentle smile.

The boy was easily convinced but Michael wasn’t; neither was Kayla.

After the main meal, of which Alex barely ate any of, he excused himself from the table by saying his leg was bothering him and a headache was beginning. The kids hugged him goodnight and Michael watched him leave the room without a fuss.

They cleared the table and tidied up. He sent Kayla to read while he got Chris ready for bed. Michael was hanging up the bath towels when he realized Chris had taken off. He went to the kids’ room and found Kayla sitting on her bed but Chris wasn’t there.

“My turn?” She asked. He nodded and she climbed off her bunk.

“Where’s your brother?”

“I dunno...”

She hurried off; Michael started to follow then noticed his bedroom door was ajar so he moved closer and pushed it open. He could just see Alex’s body, curled up under the blankets and beside him, on Michael’s side of the bed, was the smaller form of Chris. It tugged at his heart, knowing Alex wasn’t feeling well and Chris wanted to be with him.

But Alex wasn’t sick; Michael knew it was more than that. His love never admitted to being sick, he’d be on death’s door and still adamantly insist he was fine.

Michael went back to the kids’ room and waited for Kayla to come back. She smiled when she saw him and immediately scrambled into bed, pressing her tattered copy of E.T. into his hands in the hopes he’d read to her. He climbed onto the top bunk with her and she snuggled up beside him. Michael read four chapters to her as she kept begging for ‘just one more’ but finally had to tell her to go to sleep.

He climbed down the ladder and went to fetch Chris. The room was lit only by the light from the hall but Michael was fine as he slid into the room and saw Alex holding Chris’s hand while the boy slept.

He didn’t have the heart to move him or disturb Alex so he quietly slipped from the room and closed the door. Michael made his way back to the kids’ room and climbed into Chris’s bed. 

It was the right thing to do.

**

Alex had heard Michael’s footsteps then waited for him to say something, anything, before picking Christian up but his love didn’t say or do anything. There was a slight pause then Michael simply left. Alex told himself not to be upset. He’d done this after all— but it was hard to shed tears of sadness with his son’s tiny fingers wrapped tightly around his.

***

In the morning, he awoke before Chris and grabbed his crutch. Alex very quietly headed for the door then down the hall to the kids’ room. He pushed the door open and found Michael asleep on Chris’s bed.

He moved into the room and gently brushed his curls from his face.

Michael’s eyes flew open and he looked into Alex’s eyes.

“I missed you last night,” Alex admitted.

Michael reached for Alex’s hand and kissed his palm.

“I saw you had another in your bed and didn’t want to get in the way,” Michael replied.

It had been a poor choice of words, hitting a sore spot for Alex who simply nodded and pulled his hand away.

“It’s still early, let the kids sleep a bit longer,” Alex said. He turned and walked away. With his back turned, he didn’t see the crestfallen look on Michael’s face.

Alex went straight to the kitchen and began making coffee for himself. He didn’t really want it but it was something to do. When he turned back to the fridge, Michael was standing in the doorway.

“Alex, baby, please talk to me,” Michael begged; his eyes pleading with Alex. “You’re pulling away, putting walls up and we promised we’d never do that again.”

“I’m okay, Michael, really.”

“No, you’re not; even the kids have noticed.”

“So now I’m not allowed to have an off day?”

Michael moved towards him, wrapped his arms around Alex’s waist and Alex felt himself surrendering to Michael’s gentle touch.

“This is more than an off day,” Michael whispered in his ear. “This is... something I’m scared I can’t fix.”

“It’s not you, Michael, it’s me and some memories that I thought I’d dealt with years ago.”

“Your dad?”

Jesse was always Michael’s first guess whenever something was weighing on his husband. His time in the military was usually the second guess.

“Yeah,” Alex lied, and his stomach churned as he looked into Michael’s worried eyes.

“Being around the kids makes you think of him, huh?”

“Every so often yeah.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be; I have you and two beautiful children and...” he paused, thinking of Kyle's words. “I have the family and the happiness I deserve.”

“I love you, Alex.”

Michael pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“I love you, too,” Alex turned and met his lips in a kiss.

“The kids are still asleep... You, uh, need some help in the shower?”

“Help?” Alex’s eyes twinkled. “I seem to recall you usually being more of a hindrance than a help.”

“Was that a no?”

“No, it wasn’t.”

Michael swept Alex off his feet and very quietly carried him into the bathroom where they took their time to prepare each other for the day ahead.

**

He wasn’t stupid, he knew something _else_ was still on Alex’s mind but he wasn’t going to push it any further. Michael knew him well enough to know not to push him if he wasn’t ready to talk. He also knew they would have to eventually. He hated seeing sadness in his love’s eyes.

By the time they were showered and dressed, both Chris and Kayla were just beginning to stir. They got the kids up and hustled them into the car for their traditional Saturday morning breakfast at the Crashdown.

Michael kept a close eye on Alex, although he did appear to be in slightly better spirits. The kids believed he had recovered and that was all that mattered right now.

He had to go into work for a few hours and Kayla asked to come with him but Alex said no. This set off an alarm in Michael’s head but he sided with his husband and agreed Kayla should stay home. She spent every afternoon at the junkyard with Michael, it would be good for her to spend time with Alex and Chris.

He drove them home and dropped them off, Alex kissed him goodbye before he climbed out of the truck. Michael watched the three of them disappear inside the house. He was very tempted to call Walt and say he was sick but unfortunately, his boss knew Michael never got sick, so he went to the junkyard and tried to focus on work.

About an hour into his shift, Michael looked up and paused. Alex’s car was parked behind his truck and he could see him sitting in the driver’s seat. His heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t remember the last time Alex had come to the junkyard.

He wiped his hands on his shirt and walked towards the car. Michael reached out and opened the door.

“Alex?” He whispered.

His husband was clutching the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. Michael very carefully placed his hand over Alex’s and gently eased his fingers from the wheel.

“Alex, where are the kids?” He asked.

“With Kyle,” Alex replied.

“What are you doing here? Not that I’m not happy to see you, I just... you don’t come here anymore.”

He heard the sadness in his voice but he stepped back as Alex climbed out of the car and closed the door. He watched as Alex buried his hands in his pockets so Michael couldn’t hold them.

“Kayla got into the airstream,” Alex stated.

“What?” Michael’s heart flopped. “I-“

“You promised it was locked.”

“It is, I swear!” He paused. “Unless she... oh.”

“Oh?”

Michael turned and ran towards his airstream. He dropped to his knees and peered underneath. Crap. He got to his feet, brushed dirt from his clothes as Alex stepped up beside him.

“I put a trapdoor in the bottom,” Michael explained.

“Why would you do that?”

“It was my home; I could do what I wanted with it...” he paused. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. I just... needed an escape plan.” 

He turned and looked into Alex’s eyes. “I spent my entire life fearing someone would learn our secret and come looking for us in the middle of the night. I never wanted to be trapped, to be a sitting duck; I needed to know I would always have a way out.”

Alex nodded in understanding.

“And now?” He asked him. “Do you have an emergency exit from our house?”

“Alex, baby, where is this coming from?” Michael asked in confusion.

“Kayla’s asking questions about us,” Alex stated. “And it got me thinking about all that we’ve been through...”

“Alex-”

“I love you,” Alex blurted. “And I love our life, our family, what we have but we always knew the day would come that the kids would ask about our past and how we fell in love... everything we went through to find a way back to each other.”

“Baby—”

“We never came up with a cover story; I can’t tell her my family hunted yours.”

“Alex—”

“She asked Kyle what we were like in high school and he didn’t want to tell her that he was an asshole.”

“She’s nine, of course he can’t say asshole in front of her!”

“Michael,” Alex paused to collect himself. “Kayla’s questions stirred up other memories for me and...”

“The airstream, huh?”

Michael already knew where this was heading.

“I asked you to get rid of it, years ago,” Alex stated.

“And I told you it was a part of me and that I couldn’t let go of it,” Michael insisted. “Are we really going to have this fight again?”

“Yes; and we’ll keep on having it until we resolve it.”

“And by resolve, you mean I give in?”

“Michael, I’ve rarely asked you for anything,” Alex said.

“Same, Alex! When we got married, we were on the same page, when we adopted those beautiful children we were in agreement. Our lives have been entwined then in sync forever. I’ve rarely said no to you but this is the one thing I’ve never wavered on.”

“Kayla got inside, Michael!”

“It’s a trailer, Alex, it’s an empty shell of itself.”

“One of the worst nights of my life happened there,” Alex added.

“And some of the best of mine happened there,” Michael argued. “It was where I finally had a place to call my own; It was where we made love the first time after you lost your leg and that night you say was one of the worst for you, wasn’t for me because we were together and I was reassured you were both okay, safe, loved!”

“You asked me if we’d crossed a line and I-“

“Didn’t say yes; but Alex... that was years ago and so much has changed since then between us.”

Michael held up his hand to show Alex his wedding ring.

“We’re _married_ , Alex,” Michael said. “You’re my husband; you are my entire life. I am nothing without you and the kids.”

“Michael-”

“So no, I don’t have an emergency exit from our house or my life because I will never leave you. You’re my future, Alex. Our kids are our future and nothing will ever come between us, ever again.”

“I don’t want Kayla snooping around in there,” Alex stated.

“Because it’s somewhere we had sex?” Michael asked. “By that argument we need to keep her out of the bathroom, the living room, the kitchen, Max’s bathroom, Kyle’s car—”

“That’s... different.”

“Of course, it is; but I’m not going to give up my first home. Why can’t it just stay here, out of the way, being an abandoned trailer? Besides, it’s covering the entrance to my secret alien bunker, remember?”

“Kayla loves being here with you and she’s an inquiring mind,” Alex said. 

“So, we tell her it’s old and abandoned and not to play near it.”

“You mean we lay more lies upon lies.”

Michael reached out and grabbed Alex’s hand.

“She’s a child but she trusts us and she will listen to us,” he said. “I promise, Alex, she’s a good kid and she won’t go against us.”

“I should head home, Kyle said he has to work this afternoon.”

“Baby, wait, we haven’t resolved anything.”

“We’ll talk later, okay?”

Michael reluctantly nodded his head. He moved forward and kissed Alex’s cheek.

“I’ll see you at home,” Michael whispered.

“Yeah.” Alex replied; his voice almost cold but Michael tried not to read into it.

Alex’s gaze never once strayed to the airstream. He gently petted Michael’s arm then walked straight back to his car and drove home.

*

Alex walked in the front door and found Kyle sitting on the living room floor, his face covered in glitter.

“Fetching,” Alex greeted him.

“I’m never going to get this all off before my shift,” Kyle replied.

“I can help you. Kids, please clean this up while I clean up Uncle Kyle.”

They headed into the bathroom and Alex ran a cloth under the faucet. 

“So, did you talk to your husband?” Kyle asked him.

“We, uh, touched on a few things, yeah,” Alex replied.

“You brought up the airstream, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t mean to… He started it!”

“Is there no way for the two of you to find common ground on this? Has it occurred to you that Michael might think about you making out with Forrest every time he steps into the wild pony?”

“No.”

“You and Guerin have very different memories of the same events; everyone interprets things differently... that doesn’t make either of you wrong. You can feel what you feel and so can he... but do you really want him to give up over ten years of memories because of a handful you’re not happy with?”

Alex immediately shoved the wet cloth into Kyle’s face to silence him. Each time Kyle opened his mouth, Alex accidentally poked the cloth into it. He quickly took the hint and stopped trying.

They returned to the living room and Kyle said his goodbyes. Alex sank down onto the couch and Chris scrambled up beside him.

“Papa?” Chris whispered.

“Yeah Chrissy?” Alex wrapped his arm around him.

“Did Uncle Kyle really pick on you for loving Papi?”

“Not Papi specifically but because I liked boys.”

“Why?”

“Remember when we went to the park to fly that kite?” Kayla said to her brother as she climbed up on Alex’s other side. “And Papi kept kissing Papa to try and make him drop the kite then that man started saying mean things about them?”

“He said they were ‘scusting’,” Chris said.

“ _Disgusting_ ,” Kayla corrected him.

“Kayla,” Alex looked at her. 

“It’s what he said and Papi got real mad but you hugged him until he wasn’t mad anymore”.

“We’ve talked about this, kids,” Alex continued as he took each of their hands in his. “Some people think it’s wrong for boys to like boys or for girls to like girls”.

“But they’re wrong,” Kayla said. “You love Papi and he loves you; he’s always saying he’d walk through fire for you... for us.”

“He does say that, doesn’t he?” Alex smiled. “We’re lucky to have him. He gives us so much and asks for so little.”

“You give us cookies!” Kayla cried.

“And cuddles,” Chris added.

Both kids launched themselves at Alex and all three ended up in a giggling pile on the floor.

***

Michael nervously stepped in the front door but the house was eerily quiet. He called out but received no answer, so he moved through the house and opened the back door. The kids’ laughter reached his ears and he stepped outside to see both of them on the trampoline. Alex was sitting on the porch swing, watching them with a smile on his face.

“Hey, baby,” Michael whispered.

Alex slowly turned and looked up at Michael. He extended his hand towards his husband and Michael reached for it; their fingers entwined as Michael sat down beside him and pulled him close.

“You’re home,” Alex greeted him. “I missed you.”

“Did you really?”

“You know I did; I’m sorry about earlier.”

“I’m sorry too.”

“We should talk to the kids tonight about... how we met, fell in love, promised to spend the rest of our lives together.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Michael nuzzled his nose against Alex’s cheek and softly kissed him.

“Papi!”

Kayla shrieked and jumped off the trampoline; Chris came hurrying after her and Michael leapt to his feet to chase the kids around the yard. Alex couldn’t stop smiling, his heart filled with love.

***

Alex was in the kitchen trying to decide what to make for dinner when he sensed someone watching him. He carefully turned to peer out the corner of his eye and spotted Kayla, half hidden from sight.

“Is everything alright?” He asked as he moved towards her.

“Papa, I’m sorry,” she immediately burst into tears.

He dropped to his knee and immediately pulled her into a hug, having no idea why she was so upset or why she was apologizing.

“I’m sorry I upset you,” she sobbed.

“Sweetheart, you haven’t... you never...” he didn’t know where this was coming from.

“My school work; you and Papi have been fighting because I wanted to write about him!”

She sobbed even harder and buried her face in his shirt. Alex was completely dumbfounded.

“Honey, no, you didn’t do anything to upset me,” Alex explained. “I love that Papi is your hero and that you want to write about him.”

“Really?” She pulled away and looked at him through her tears.

“He’s my hero too.”

“But you got sad after I told you and you’ve been sad since; you didn’t tell Papi you love him when we got out of the car today!”

“Sweetheart, I wasn’t feeling well and I didn’t mean to make you feel bad or to not tell papi I love him but none of that is on you, okay?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes; so, don’t you worry about me or my feelings or anything silly like that. You write everything you can about the person we both hold dear.”

He wiped the tears from her cheeks then kissed her forehead and she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Once she pulled away, he asked her to send Papi into the kitchen. She ran off and a moment later Michael appeared, took one look at him on the ground and frowned.

“Help me up?” Alex said, holding out his hand.

“What’s the magic word?” Michael replied.

“You’re my cosmic love.”

“It was actually ‘please’ but I’ll take it.”

Michael reached down and helped Alex to his feet.

“What happened?”

“Kayla was upset, I got down to comfort her and couldn’t get back up. Lucky my hero was here to save me.”

Michael took that as an invitation and swept Alex off his feet, up into his arms and carried him bridal style into the living room where the kids were colouring at the coffee table.

“Incoming!” Michael shouted as he deposited Alex onto the couch.

“Papi’s being silly again,” Chris rolled his eyes.

Alex reached up, grabbed the front of Michael’s shirt and pulled him into a kiss.

Michael reached up to grasp Alex’s hand and he looked down at their wedding rings, remembering the day he’d slipped that ring onto Alex’s finger and promised to love him for better or worse, in sickness and health, till death parted them.

“I love you,” Alex whispered.

Michael returned the kiss as he clutched Alex’s hand.

“Silly Papi,” Chris giggled.

“So, kids,” Michael turned to them. “Who wants to hear about how this beautiful man stole my heart and hasn’t let go since?”

“I do!” Kayla shrieked. “I do!”

Alex shifted on the couch and Michael jumped over the back to settle beside him. Both kids scrambled closer and sat on the floor at their feet. Michael immediately took hold of Alex’s hand so their fingers entwined. They looked at each other and shared a smile.

“We didn’t actually meet until the end of middle school,” Michael said to them. “You know I was raised in the same group home where we met you. I never knew my parents but I was found with Max and Isobel, barely a year younger than you are now, Kayla, and no memories prior. We ended up in the group home but Max and Isobel got adopted together and I was left behind.”

Alex squeezed Michael’s hand, offering him comfort as he spoke. He briefly mentioned the families he bounced between, being repeatedly sent back to the home before ending up back in Roswell, reunited with Max and Isobel.

“For a long time, I was jealous of the life they’d had that I didn’t... and I was angry,” he said. “I took my anger out on a lot of people; a few months before graduation, I realized I liked music so I stole a guitar to practice with and that guitar was Alex’s.”

“That’s so romantic,” Kayla sighed.

“The first thing Michael stole from me was my guitar.”

“And that’s when he stole your heart?” She asked.

“That was a process,” Michael said. “A slow going one at that. I tried to avoid the foster family I was with and I started sleeping in my truck, Alex found out and offered me a safe place to go.”

“You lived together all them years ago?” Chris asked, his eyes open wide in surprise.

“No!” Alex chuckled. “My father never would’ve allowed that. He had a temper and when he got mad, he would hit me. I used to hide in a shed behind my house so I told Michael about it, I thought it was safer than him sleeping in a truck.”

“So, I started staying there and one-night Alex brought me a guitar of my own. It was his brother’s but he loaned it to me and we both started to feel things.”

“You kissed? And have been kissing ever since?” Kayla was almost swooning.

“He tried to put the moves on me but I got scared,” Michael admitted. “I think I actually embarrassed him a little.”

“You made the first move? _Papa_!!!”

Alex chuckled.

“The more I thought about it, the more I wished we had kissed,” Michael said. “So, I went to find him and I kissed him.”

“We went back to the shed and kissed some more but my father caught us together,” Alex added.

“Did he get mad?” She asked. “Did he try to hurt you?”

“He was going to hurt me but Michael got between us and my dad hurt him instead.”

Alex blinked back tears. After all this time it was still hard to talk about.

“So just when we’d found each other, we were ripped apart,” Michael said. “I did a lot of bad things and Kyle’s dad even arrested me.”

“I knew he was in a bad way but my dad was pushing for me to join the Air Force; he even threatened to hurt Michael again if I didn’t go.”

“Our paths crossed over the years but it wasn’t until he lost his leg that Alex finally came home to me,” Michael explained. “By then I’d worked at the junkyard and on a ranch; I was living in a trailer, barely making ends meet but just being in the same place at the same time, it still wasn’t enough. Ten years is a long time and we just never quite managed to be on the same page.”

“We decided we were better as friends and we really tried,” Alex continued. “We both dated other people for a little while but no matter what happened, we were constantly being pulled back to each other, like magnets.”

“Then it finally happened that Alex was offered a job in Las Vegas and I was scared that if he left, he’d never come back, that I’d never see him again,” Michael said. “And Kyle told me that if I let him go now then I’d be letting him go for good; and I knew I couldn’t let that happen.”

“I hadn’t decided if I should accept it or not; I didn’t really want to move to Vegas, it’s not my style. I just wanted the quiet life... but I also wanted just one good reason to stay.”

Alex leaned his head on Michael’s shoulder.

“I literally got on my knees and begged him to stay,” Michael told the kids. “I told him he’s everything I’ve ever wanted and all I’d ever need. I begged him to give me one year to show him that this is it, that I was committed to devoting my life to him.”

“I knew I couldn’t leave him after that so I agreed and exactly one year later, it was my turn to get on my knees and ask him to spend the rest of his life with me.”

Kayla was swooning on the floor.

“What made you want us?” Chris softly asked.

“We knew we wanted kids,” Michael said. “And I hated being left in that group home. I promised myself that one day I’d be the one to spare a child from the upbringing I had.”

“And I one hundred percent supported him on that; plus, you were both already potty trained.”

Both kids giggled.

“We went into that home, looking to extend our family,” Alex said. “That’s where we found both of you and just like that, our family was complete.”

Kayla and Chris both got to their feet and climbed onto the couch with Michael and Alex.

“I didn’t think anything would top that feeling I had in my stomach the day I married Alex,” Michael explained. “But that same feeling was there the day we met you two and even now, nothing compares to moments like these when I have my husband by my side and my kids in my arms.”

Kayla and Chris squeezed in for a hug and over their heads, Michael and Alex exchanged a kiss.

*

That night as Michael tucked Kayla into bed, she reached under her pillow and pulled out the photo of him and Alex, handed it to him.

“Sweetheart, where did you get this?” Michael asked. “From Papa?”

“The trailer at your work,” she admitted.

Michael climbed onto the bed with her and she snuggled up beside him.

“That’s where you were when I couldn’t find you?” He asked and she nodded.

“Grandpa Walt said you used to live in it.”

“I did; I told you kids I lived in a trailer… it used to be on a Ranch that I worked at but when they sold the place, Sanders let me move it to the yard… basically rent free so long as I did work for him.”

“Why was this photo left behind? When you moved out?”

He sighed as he looked at the photo.

“Because I kinda never moved out,” Michael told her. “I go in there a lot, if I need a nap or if it’s quiet at work. So of course, I keep a photo of Alex in there; he’s the reason I wake up smiling every day, why I work hard to provide for my family…”

“He works hard too.”

“Yes, he does,” Michael agreed. “But his work is classified and on computers. He doesn’t get grease all over his fingers.”

Michael immediately began to tickle her and she giggled.

“That trailer is old and kinda falling apart,” Michael said once they’d both stopped laughing. “I’d prefer it if you didn’t play in there, sweetie, okay?”

“Okay,” she agreed.

He started to hand the photo back to her but she stopped him, told him she was sorry for taking it and that he should put it back.

Michael kissed her cheek then slid off the bunk and bid her goodnight. In the bunk below, Chris was already asleep. He turned the light off and made his way to the living room where Alex was reading a book.

He leaned over and dropped the photo in his lap.

“Kayla?” Alex asked.

“She wanted me to have it back,” Michael told him.

“You keep it in there for a reason, don’t you?”

“Alex-”

“The airstream’s important to you; I get it and I’m sorry that I… that we keep going round in circles about it; there’s… nothing wrong with it staying where it is.”

“You say that now but are you sure we’re not just going to fight about it again a year from now?”

“We probably will because ninety nine percent of the time, I’m fine about it but we both know what happens when we let things… fester…”

“We promised not to do that anymore.”

“Yeah and I’m sorry the kids picked up on it… But I really didn’t want this to come up again because I don’t think we’re ever going to come to an agreement.”

“Hey,” Michael moved around the couch, lifted Alex’s legs and sat down, settled Alex’s legs in his lap. “Couples fight… even happily married ones. Nothing can be perfect a hundred percent of the time but talking about it is what makes the difference. I love you and I always will… even if we don’t agree on every single little thing in our lives; our differences and our similarities is what makes us great _together._ ”

“So, you’re not… mad at me?”

“Mad? At you?”

“For my… hang ups.”

“Alex,” Michael reached for his hand. “I could _never_ be mad at you for being _you_ ;” he brushed his thumb across Alex’s wedding ring. “For better or worse, in sickness and in health, remember?”

“I do,” Alex whispered.

Michael leaned forward and Alex met him halfway for a gentle kiss.

“I love you,” Alex whispered.

“Me too,” Michael agreed. “You wanna come to bed so I can show you just how much?”

“Maybe I’ll show you first,”

“Is… is that a _challenge_?” 

“Shhhhh,” Alex hissed. “The kids!”

“Oh, they’re your excuse for everything,” Michael whispered in his ear. “So, you don’t wanna scream, fine… I can make you whimper and moan and c-”

Alex cut him off with a kiss.

“You can do _whatever_ you want to me so long as you stop talking right now,” he said to Michael.

“Last one to bed has to get naked first,” Michael hissed as he jumped up. Alex grabbed his hand, stopped him from running off.

“ _Really_? You’re _not_ going to carry me to the bed tonight of all nights?”

“Can’t have you getting lazy on me, baby”.

“Michael,” Alex’s voice shifted from teasing to absolute sincerity. “I feel safe when I’m in your arms and so very loved when you carry me to bed.”

Michael stopped and looked into his eyes. There was so much love, honesty, trust, vulnerability in his beautiful eyes. He knelt down, scooped Alex into his embrace and proceeded to carry him to their bedroom. Michael gently placed his husband on their bed and was thanked with a gentle kiss.

“Look at that, I won,” Alex whispered with a smirk. “I think you better start getting naked.”

“Cheater,” Michael teased before kissing him again then surrendering.

*****

On Monday morning, after Michael left to drop Christian at school then off to work, Kayla stood in the middle of the hallway and yelled for Alex. 

“Papa, can you drive me to school?” She called.

He frowned in confusion as she preferred to ride her bicycle but he went to find her and just as he began to ask why she didn’t want to ride, he saw her and stopped.

Kayla’s hair was curled from being braided in her sleep; she had an open shirt over her tank top, her favorite pair of jeans with a belt and on her feet were her pink cowgirl boots. 

“I have to give my report today and I don’t want to ruin my outfit,” she told him shyly.

Alex’s heart was filled with love and pride. He loved how much she adored Michael.

“Of course, I’ll drive you, sweetheart,” Alex replied.

He turned and went to find his keys, blinking back happy tears as he went. She joined him at the front door, very carefully placing her assignment in her bag. They went to the car and both climbed in. She nervously toyed with her hair for the entire drive.

“You look so beautiful,” Alex told her and she beamed at him.

Alex pulled up outside the school and she hugged him before jumping out and running inside. He drove home and switched his computer on to check all the correspondence from the school. Right at the top was the one from Kayla’s teacher about the class’s assignment.

He tried to busy himself with work but he kept refreshing his email, waiting, impatiently for another email to come through. When it finally did, he didn’t open it. Alex turned the computer off and grabbed his laptop. He went straight to his car and drove to the junkyard.

Alex climbed out of the car with the laptop and started towards Michael.

“Twice in one week?” Michael called out in surprise. “Are you okay?”

“I, uh, I want to show you something,” Alex held up the laptop. “Can I set this up somewhere?”

“Uh,” Michael looked around. There wasn’t really a clean surface anywhere.

“Somewhere quiet and away from the glare of the sun.”

He watched as Michael looked around almost helplessly. Alex reached for his hand and started towards the airstream.

“How about in here?” He suggested.

“Are you sure?” Michael asked him. Alex nodded.

Michael pulled out a key and unlocked the door. He opened it then waited for Alex to step past and inside. Alex paused and looked around. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been in here plenty of times over the years; nothing had changed except it was maybe slightly dustier.

He turned and looked at the cupboard. The photo Kayla had taken was back in place but underneath it was one of her and Chris. Next to that was a photograph of the four of them together. Alex smiled at the collection of images. These were what Michael looked at every time he came in here.

Alex turned and placed his laptop on the table. He reached for his phone so he could use the data. The entire time he fiddled, Michael watched but didn’t say a word. After their talks over the past few days it meant everything to him that Alex was here now.

“I wanted you to see this before the kids got out of school,” Alex explained. “Kayla’s been working really hard on an assignment she had to present to her class today and her teacher sent me this.”

He pressed a button and a video opened. Alex reached for Michael’s hand as an image of Kayla appeared on the screen. With her temporary curls and her layered shirts, she looked as much like Michael as she could.

“My hero, by Kayla Manning-Guerin.”

She spoke very clearly. Michael squeezed Alex’s hand, still so touched the kids had taken his name while keeping their parents one too. Alex hadn’t wanted them to take his name.

“My hero, the person I look up to and admire the most is my Papi, Michael Guerin. To most people in this town he’s a nobody; he’s not a doctor like my uncle Kyle or a law person like my uncle Max. He’s a mechanic and he can fix _anything_. There’s no engine in town he can’t fix. He grew up in the system, believing he was unloved and unwanted but he was wrong because when he met my papa, he _was_ loved and he loved in return. He’s strong, he’s brave and he’s protective. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for the people he loves and holds dear. 

My brother and I lost our parents in an accident and nobody wanted us either until the day Michael and Alex walked into the home and chose us. Michael knew what it meant to feel unloved and he’s never once let us feel that way. When I make a mistake or do something wrong, he doesn’t yell, he asks me to explain why I did what I did so we can understand each other. He makes me want to be just like him. 

He lets me go to work with him and I watch him work on cars, the way he fixes all the broken things that cross his path. I want to make him proud and I want to love like he does. To have a love like he shares with my Papa, Alex… because Michael is at his best, his happiest when he looks at Papa. He jokes that he would walk through fire for him, for us but I don’t think he’s joking. I think he really would because he loves us so strongly and I want to love like that when I grow up.”

The video ended and Alex turned to see tears in Michael’s eyes. He immediately wrapped his arms around him and pulled him into a hug.

“Not even a year yet,” Alex whispered. “They haven’t even been with us an entire year and yet they love us more than we’d ever imagined.”

“She thinks this town thinks I’m a nobody,” Michael said.

“It’s better than saying you used to be the town drunk.”

They both laughed as Michael pulled away and looked into Alex’s eyes. 

“She knows I’d walk through fire for you,” Michael said.

“For all of us,” Alex added.

“You knew, didn’t you? That she was doing this?”

“Her assignment?”

“Yeah, she told me, apologized for not picking me,”

“Oh, baby.” 

Michael’s tone wasn’t mocking or pitying as he held Alex in his arms.

“You’ll always be my hero, Alex,” Michael said to him.

“And you’ll always be mine,” Alex agreed. 

Michael reached over and pressed play again. They held each other while listening to her presentation again. Once it finished, he closed the laptop and turned to Alex.

“We should get out of here,” he started.

“Not yet,” Alex replied.

“Alex-”

“Kyle said that sometimes the best way to move past a dark memory is to replace it with a happier one.”

“Oh?”

“Hearing how much our daughter loves you, loves us, makes me pretty damn happy.”

Alex wrapped his arms around Michael’s neck and in return Michael’s hands slid around Alex’s waist as they pulled each other close and shared a deep, loving kiss.

“Every minute I spend with you makes me happy, Alex,” Michael confessed as he didn’t know what else to say. He didn’t protest when he felt Alex reaching for his belt.

He took a very long lunch break that afternoon.

***

Kayla was still giddy with excitement at receiving top marks for her assignment and she couldn’t wait to get home to tell Michael and Alex and Chris. She really and truly hoped she hadn’t upset Alex by not choosing him but he’d been so happy when she said she wanted to talk about Michael that it _had_ to be okay, right?

She walked out the doors with her school bag and remembered she hadn’t ridden her bike today. Was she supposed to walk home or would Papa come and get her? Kayla made her way to the pickup area and frowned when she saw Papi’s truck parked there. Michael was sitting behind the wheel, his cowboy hat on his head, and he was smiling at her.

She immediately became self-conscious. She hadn’t wanted him to see her silly attempt to look like him.

Kayla made her way towards the truck and climbed in.

“So, how was school sweetheart?” Michael asked her.

“Where’s Papa?” Kayla asked. “I thought he…”

“Was gonna come and get you?”

She nodded.

“I wanted to today since you didn’t have your bike, I didn’t want you to not come see me.”

“Papi?”

“I work harder when you’re there to keep an eye on me.”

Kayla giggled but Michael still hadn’t started the truck.

“Why aren’t we leaving?” She asked.

“You look beautiful today, sweetheart,” Michael told her. “I love your hair; it kinda looks like mine.”

She blushed and looked away.

“But you know what’s even better?” Michael asked her. Kayla looked at him, shyly. “What goes perfect with pink cowgirl boots?”

Michael reached under the seat and pulled out a box which he handed to her. She opened it and gasped at the pink cowgirl hat inside. Michael picked it up and placed it on her head as tears spilled down her cheeks.

“There’s my beautiful cowgirl,” Michael whispered.

“Thank you, Papi,” she whispered.

Michael started the truck and off they went in the direction of the junkyard. Kayla spent the entire drive looking at her reflection in the wing mirror.

When they reached their destination, Michael helped her into the flatbed of the truck then took a selfie of them in their matching hats.

He sent the photo to Alex and several moments later he received a reply.

‘Next she’ll be asking for a pony,’

‘Only if I can have one too.’

‘You’re already a stallion.’

The next text he got was a photo. He opened it to see an image of Alex and Chris, grinning together in their matching aprons in the kitchen.

Michael smiled to himself. The town may think he was a nobody but he knew the truth, he was the luckiest man on earth with a loving husband and two incredible children; and he _would_ walk through fire for all of them.


End file.
